14 March 2016

All change, all change! A hermeneutic of Repetitively Ruinous Rupture.

                                  
                                 BRIGHT NEW DAWN Number 1: October 11 1962

Readers will be familiar with the idea that Vatican II (Bologna means rupture not rapture) was a new start. So, in the following years, you damaged rather than enhanced your case by doing anything so absurd as backing up your arguments with the utterances of pre-Conciliar Roman pontiffs. Who, in 1970, looked back to the encyclicals of Pius XII for enlightenment? Or to the teaching of Pius XI on the Kingship of Christ? Or to the condemnations of Modernism under S Pius X? Just when it was most needed, the Anti-Modernist Oath was abolished!

Yes, you do all know all that, and you are aware too that the "Hermeneutic of Continuity" represented Benedict XVI's determination to stitch up the tear in the integrity of the Church's Magisterium; to unrupt the rupture.

                                  BRIGHT NEW DAWN Number 2: March 13 2013

But I think we're in a very similar, or analogous, position now. What preceded Pope Francis is now old Hat. The Magisterium of S John Paul II and of Pope Benedict XVI has become a superseded construct. History began anew at the moment when Papa Bergoglio apparently didn't tell Guido Marini that the Carnival was Over. The very moment that he appeared to the Faithful not wearing the garments of Office worn by his predecessors in the See of Rome, and took a name never before born by a Roman Pontiff, he symbolised the Bright New Rupture.

You think that I am putting too much emphasis on mere symbols? Fair enough. But I ask you to consider the campaign to readmit the divorced and 'remarried' to Holy Communion; a campaign which was in fact invited and originated by the pope himself when he sponsored the heterodox and heteropractic views of Walter Kasper, apparently one of his two favourite theologians. True, the very recent Magisterium of S John Paul II (Familiaris Consortio 1981) and Benedict XVI (Caritatis Sacramentum 2007), not to mention pellucid documents of the other organs of the Magisterium, had been very clear about the impossibility of allowing this. But: So What ... and: Who Cares. Previous Pontiffs ... even great Vatican II itself ... now fell behind the starting-point of the new Age of Pope Francis, who can do anything. Or rather, during whose pontificate any thing can be done if only 'Reformers' can get their own hands on the papal levers of power.

So we have had Reinhardt Marx telling the world that Germany is not a subsidiary of Rome and is not prepared to wait for what she is demanding; Vincent Nichols talking about readmitting the "civilly remarried" after a "demanding penitential pathway". Things in this country reached a disgracefully low point: the organisers of that 2014 document which was signed by nearly 500 English and Welsh priests reportedly had "a certain amount of pressure ... intimidation from some senior churchmen" put on them to shut up (it seems improbable that these pressures were applied, by whoever did apply them, in the knowledge that Nichols would disapprove of such intimidation). And ... God help us all! ... those 500-or-so undisciplined presbyters were doing nothing other than asserting what had been reaffirmed, as recently as 2007, to be the Church's principled and unchangeable teaching! What Naughty Boys we were to do something so daring, and without permission!

We'll be needing special episcopal faculties to say the Creed soon ("Oh dear me, Father, I don't think I can allow that ... ... some of your parishioners would find it very Divisive ... ")!

What an unbelievable situation, this game of declaring the doctrinal slate to have been wiped clean in less than a decade so that pushy new men who've mugged up on the Francis-jargon can rewrite the Church's Magisterium, Sartre-like, on a nice blank page!  

This is all so manifestly silly that it can't go on.

At least, not plausibly in a Church which claims to be a teaching Church.

18 comments:

mark wauck said...

The pontiff's new clothes--and none of his counselors will point out the obvious. Not with the embarrassing clarity that's needed. But allow me to insist that the last two pontificates were only a seeming respite, not a righting of the bark of Peter. Thanks for your efforts at maintaining some connection for the faithful to the Tradition of the Faith.

Long-Skirts said...

CELIBATE
STEEL


Take our churches
Take our pews
Orthodox bloggers
Shun, refuse.

Take our schools
Take our kneelers
Fill your space with
P. C. feelers.

Shove Tabernacles
In a room
So bride can play
Without her Groom.

Some will run
Some will hide
Some defend,
“Flow with the tide.”

But like the Saints,
Laity, before -
Joan, Clitherow,
Thomas More,

You can burn our books
Cast off to waste lands
Cut off His Crowned Head
Plop Him into our hands,

Confuse the weak,
“They’re men of smells, bells,
Not in full-communion”
Their lie impels

These, real men -
In the state of grace -
You’ve tried to shred
But they are steel lace -

“I am the Good Shepherd”
Laced-lambs to Him kneel
And they breed the True Faith -
They…are…celibate-steel!

Mick Jagger Gathers No Mosque said...

God Bless you, Father, for you frank and orthodox masculinity. Sometimes converts make the best Traditionalists.

Capt. Morgan said...

Our Lady warned us of this time of diabolic confusion. All we can do is remain faithful to the totality of the Faith, and await our Lords blessed return.

Highland Cathedral said...

I am glad to be able to point out that the document signed by 500-or-so priests was signed by a number of priests working in Scotland.

As far as the Creed is concerned my local Church of Scotland has shown the way forward. They invited four ministers on consecutive Sundays to preach about a different part of the Creed. Reading the transcript of their sermons it would appear that several of them had been watching Chris Tarrant on ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.’ Their approach to the Creed was, basically, to say, ’But we don’t want to give you that’ and talk about something else altogether. Belief was basically for those who needed some sort of crutch. If they did talk about the Creed their strategy was to completely reinterpret it to mean nothing much at all. For example, the local minister’s version of ‘I believe in God the father Almighty maker of heaven and earth' was
‘Everything I am
has chosen to trust a way of life
shaped by a love
that has given everything (as a father or mother does)
in order for life to happen
life that is both grounded in the places, people and relationships I have
and beyond what I understand, see or know
found in hope, possibility and belief.’
Make of that what you will.

Unknown said...

God bless you for writing this. Here's 3 years in brief...
'POPE FRANCIS' - 3 YEARS - A CHRONOLOGY
2016 – Released a video promoting his prayer intentions featuring Muslim prayer beads, a Buddha statue, and Menorah, but no cross; Changed Roman Missal to include women in Holy Thursday foot-washing; Lutherans received Holy Communion at Saint Peter's Basilica; Announced he will participate in a joint ceremony with the World Lutheran Federation to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation; Suggested that John the Baptist doubted that Jesus Christ was the Messiah; Taught priests that those confessing need not verbalize their sins but can confess through 'the language of the gesture'; Proclaimed that a political candidate is 'not a Christian'; Approved of contraception in special circumstances; Praised an abortion rights advocate…

2015 – Claimed lost souls do not go to Hell; Joked about the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ; Claimed that Jesus begged his parents for forgiveness and the Virgin Mary 'reproached' Christ; Became PETA's Man of the Year; Met with a transgender dubbed 'The Devil's Daughter'; Left Lutherans wondering if they can now take Communion in the Catholic Church; Routinely scolded and mocked 'rigid' Catholics; Projected images of animals and humanity onto Saint Peter's for climate change support on the Feast day of the Immaculate Conception…

2014 – Held the first Muslim/Jewish prayers and Koran readings at the Vatican; Sent an iPhone message to evangelicals through prosperity-gospel millionaire TV preacher Kenneth Copeland; Peace doves attacked; Said to 'scold the Lord' and also that he would baptize aliens; Cover of Rolling Stone; Accidentally said 'the F word'; Cardinal Dolan claimed Francis said 'Catholic Church should not dismiss gay marriage'; Mentioned re-thinking celibacy for priests; Initial synod document suggested shift in Church's position on homosexuality, but was revised; Compared Islamic terrorists to Christian fundamentalists…

2013 – Pope Benedict XVI resigned and lighting struck Saint Peter's Dome hours later; Masonic lodges officially congratulated Jorge Bergoglio on becoming Pope Francis and wrote 'nothing will be as it was before'; Pope Francis claimed that the miracle of Jesus multiplying the bread and fish was really a miracle of 'sharing', not multiplying; Said 'Who am I to judge?' about gay priests; The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League tweeted 'Thank you Pope Francis from prochoice women everywhere'; Said we are 'living in the myth of Shiva'; Cover of the leading LGBT magazine, The Advocate; Said Atheists Who Do Good Are Redeemed; Started taking selfies with fans…
FULL CHRONOLOGY (DATED/SOURCED)
http://thewildvoice.org/pope-francis-chronology-perspective/

Michael Dowd said...

Thanks Father for saying what needed saying. Let's us say it over and over again. And always take appropriate action according to the Will of God.

Simple Simon said...

What must we do? Keeping the faith is not enough. Our Lord's promise that the gates of hell would not prevail, and our lady's promise that in the end her immaculate heart would triumph were not given to us as a comfort zone to repose in during hard times. The immediate meaning was to alert us to the fact that we have to fight for the truths of our faith every day. Too many sound bishops have contented themselves with either simply restating the moral and doctrinal teaching or consoling themselves with the fact that nothing untoward has been taking place on their watch. Too many Bishops do not want to face up to the reality that the Church is no longer one. Two faiths cannot coexist together. Now is the acceptable hour to call out Pope Francis. A Francis 2 or Benedict XV11 would simply prolong the agony. The goings on are much more sinister than 'manifestly silly'. Is the end game nigh?

Ferrara said...

From La Profezia Finale, Antonio's Socci's page-by-page bombardment of this Pope, who has recently sent Socci a note thanking him for the effort (Socci isn't allowing himself to be buttered up, however, as his subsequent writings show): "... instead of combatting errors (and certain of the erring), you set about combatting the Church.... In this 'dictatorship of relativism', now consolidated throughout the West, those Catholics who are not ashamed of Christ are fought by the world and are now beaten with clubs and emarginated even from the supreme summit of the Church: by you."

philipjohnson said...

Fr.Beware modernists!The devil himself is in them.God bless.

Liam Ronan said...

"Do not you remember my telling you of this, before I left your company? At present there is a power (you know what I mean) which holds him in check, so that he may not shew himself before the time appointed to him;meanwhile, the conspiracy of revolt is already at work; only, he who checks it now will be able to check it, until he is removed from the enemy’s path.

Then it is that the rebel will shew himself; and the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth, overwhelming him with the brightness of his presence. He will come, when he comes, with all Satan’s influence to aid him; there will be no lack of power, of counterfeit signs and wonders; and his wickedness will deceive the souls that are doomed, to punish them for refusing that fellowship in the truth which would have saved them. That is why God is letting loose among them a deceiving influence, so that they give credit to falsehood; he will single out for judgement all those who refused credence to the truth, and took their pleasure in wrong-doing." 2 Thessalonians 2:5-11

I would guess 'the power which holds him in check' was withdrawn circa 1960 or when Pope Benedict XVI abdicated. In any event, here we are.

"For the time is, that judgment should begin at the house of God. And if first at us, what shall be the end of them that believe not the gospel of God?" 1 Peter 4:17

On 13 May 2010, while on pilgrimage to Fatima, Pope Benedict spoke these words in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions in 2017:

"May the seven years which separate us from the centenary of the apparitions hasten the fulfilment of the prophecy of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, to the glory of the Most Holy Trinity."

"Λέγει ὁ μαρτυρῶν ταῦτα, ναί, ἔρχομαι ταχύ. ἀμήν, ἔρχου, κύριε Ἰησοῦ. 21 Ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ μετὰ πάντων." Revelation 22:20-21

Jacobi said...

Calm down Father,

Now I have a policy of not being critical of the current Pontiff so all I can say is that I so admire his initiative with Patriarch Kirill.

As for the current mess, it has come and it will go. 2/3 Pontiffs and then another Council to sort it out!

My favourite Popes, incidentally, are St Gregory VII and Pius XI. Pius for partly for the condemnation of Modernism, but much more importantly for his exploration of the ridges of Monte Rosa, before there were fixed top-ropes everywhere installed by Health and Safety. See, Climbs on Alpine Peaks, Abate Achille Ratti!

St Gregory, well that's another story!

Kathleen1031 said...

I fear that Traditionalists are firmly outside the Roman Catholic Church and just don't know it yet. It's like an episode of the Twilight Zone.
Given the predominant silence from Bishops, even in the face of this insanity, one can only conclude that they are in agreement with this disruptor. If that is the case, where does that leave us.

Lepanto said...

Don't calm down, Father. Keep 'telling it like it is', it is the sharing of the truth that will change things and not merely waiting for the 'siege to be lifted'.

John the Mad said...

The trick is to read your pastor's interpretation backwards. The meaning becomes manifest. I read it backwards and now I know. Paul is dead.

Fr. John said...

Dearest Father,
I am a brother priest from across the pond, as you might say. I am one who is still learning many things and I have found you to be very educational AND entertaining although I must admit I sometimes have to work at understanding your British wit and glorious writing style. Still, I find you quite enjoyable even when you put us Yanks in our rightfully deserving place! (Out of love for our well being of course) Please Good Father, continue your tremendous blogosphere work as it is a true blessing to me and many, the world over.
I am very grateful to have been introduced to you, thanks in part to Fr. Zed's wonderful blogosphere work as well. Thank you for all you do, may you be granted the greatest of Heavenly rewards!

Jacobi said...

@ Kathleen

You may be right. Who are these Traditionalists by the way. I wouldn't know. I'm just an ordinary orthodox Catholic.

What faction are you?

abevec1 said...

Really a grim and succinct summary of bergolios actions.